


Prom Lights: Part I

by Bai_Marionette



Series: Brass Steps [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alfred is disabled, Brass Steps AU, Highschool AU, Ivan is a music teacher, M/M, Slow Dancing, student!alfred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-27
Updated: 2014-07-27
Packaged: 2018-02-10 15:02:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2029482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bai_Marionette/pseuds/Bai_Marionette
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prom night was supposed to be special. Alfred didn't even have a date, let alone any friends left to go with, but he still tugged on his best clothes and showed up. Only to find out when he got there that he didn't feel like he belonged there at all, there was no one to dance with or even for him to talk to. This wasn't unusual.<br/>What was unusual was for Mr. Bragniski to ask for a dance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Prom Lights: Part I

When he had heard the teacher ask for his hand, he'd nearly thought himself imagining things. But no, his music teacher was asking him to dance at prom. He was surely dreaming.

"Sure you can dance on those old legs of those?" Alfred joked, from the wall, hands gripping the handles of his crutches tightly, as he tried to smile. Put on an act, smile for the camera - he knew when to act happy and play the part of the optimistic teenager bursting with energy.

But his arms hurt, his legs still felt like numb jelly, and his heart was pounding in his ears. He shouldn't have come to the dance, he couldn't dance - not with his legs as messed up as they were. He couldn't walk without the braces and crutches - but here he was.

And about to accept a dance from Mr. Bragniski, no strings attached. It kinda.. It made him kind of happy. No one else had ever asked him to dance before, it was a strange feeling. A good one, though - he liked it. It almost made him imagine little sparks of energy in legs again. Energy like he was going to cross the finish line at a cross country race.

"Think you can keep up?" The older male joked back, keeping his hand outstretched. All Alfred had to do was take it. He took a giddy breath, nodding as he helped the music teacher ease his crutches to the wall. Getting off the wall was taking a breath of fresh air - he felt like he was a part of the dance finally.

"Easy now, not too fast," his teacher chided. The short blond barely heard him, hands finding a safe line quickly and holding on for dear life. His teacher chuckled as Alfred moved a bit clumsily on his braces, helping him off the wall when the younger let him and stopping himself when Alfred wanted to push on his own.

It took a good minute to get the student off the wall but the look on Alfred's face for doing it mostly on his own was priceless. He wasn't entirely helpless. He grinned up at Mr. Bragniski and the taller smiled back.

"Now, let's get that dance then, da?" Mr. Bragniski corrected Alfred's hand, taking the lead and making the younger nearly yelp as he spun them into motion. Forget what Alfred had said earlier, now his heart was definitely pounding in his ears. But he was grinning - this was...this was nice.

The older male was doing most of the work but he made it look effortless. Graceful. Alfred felt himself swayed around and he looked at the other dancers from over his glasses. Their faces looked so blissful; they were having the time of their lives in this slow song, just like him.

He tried to lay his head like he saw the other dancers doing, hearing his teacher's heartbeat resonate around his skull and feeling his barrel chest rise and fall with each even breath he took.

"Having fun?"

The sudden question brought the American teen from out of his thoughts, eyes fluttering open - when had he closed them? - hearing sounds bounce back from his brief lapse. Slow piano, a beautiful voice echoing around the auditorium, Mr. Bragniski's shiny black tap shoes, the squeak of Alfred's sneakers and the clinks of his braces as he moved. 

"Y-yeah," the shorter said, grinning up at him. "Thanks - for the dance, I guess?" He licked his lips, ducking his head back down, and trying not to  rub his tongue on his braces - yes, he had two pairs of braces. He preferred the oral ones though, less maintenance visits and hours of sitting at a doctor's office.

"I'm glad then," the older replied. "You looked lonely before."

"Well, I was the only one on the wall, Mr. Bragniski."

"True," the teacher replied. "But you didn't have to be."

"What do you mean?" Alfred asked, but the song was ending. Somewhere in him, his heart sank a bit lower in his chest, saddened by the cease of the slow song. His teacher seemed to sense this and spoke up.

"We can dance a bit longer if you want?" Ivan poised it as an question, nervousness almost edging into his voice. His gloved hand almost slipped, ready to let go and walk Alfred back to the wall if he wanted to get off the dance floor when the teen spoke up.

"No, no, it- this is fine," the shorter blond spoke up, hiding his face as it burned slightly. He didn't know why he felt so embarrassed to say that he wanted one more dance. It wasn't something serious.

His teacher's hand felt heavy on his hip.

Mr. Bragniski led them both through another song smoothly, him again doing most of the work while Alfred found comfort in just moving fluidly to the flow of the music. Figuratively twiddling his thumbs in his mind, the younger just tried to enjoy himself despite the growing sense of being a burden that worried his gut. He frowned and felt a slight change in Ivan's grip.

Then, he was being dipped.

He nearly shrieked.

"You looked like you were falling asleep on me," the older male pretended to apologize. He was smirking. Alfred's face flamed as he felt the other eyes on him. He gripped the older male so hard that his knuckles turned white.

"Please pick me up," he grit out. He had had enough of that. He wouldn't dare 'fall asleep' on the music teacher ever again. Huffing to himself as he was righted back safely on his feet, he waited out the rest of the dance and staring heavily at the Russian's chest. He had a sunflower tie. 

How tacky but fitting.

Alfred tried to ignore the last of the stares, huffing as the music teacher above him continued to sway them along and giggled at the absurdity of it all. The song changed again but this time it was a bit quicker than the last two, although it started off slow.

Mr. Bragniski was humming along to the words, the teen noticed, swaying them with a bit more enthusiasm than before. Alfred tried to pay more attention to the lyrics, finding himself swaying as best as he could along with the teacher.

A slow smile worked onto his face and for some phantom reason, he looked up at the older male. It took a whole second for the other to respond, Alfred almost having turned his gaze back down, and then their eyes met.

Something made the teen's heart flutter. Probably the song, or maybe he was getting light headed.

Before either could say anything, the song was ending to both males' disappointment, and the couples around them were clapping. Mr. Bragniski let Alfred lean back on him so that they could both look at the DJ up front and clap.

Shortly after that, the older was helping the younger get back to his previous spot and rest a bit. That had been enough dancing for Alfred, more than enough stares honestly. Nonetheless, he thanked the music teacher, "T-thank you, Mr. B...that was nice, I didn't know you could dance."

Raising a brow, the older helped the younger into his seat before he leaned up against the wall. He smiled a little. "I can do many things, Alfred."

Already tired of just sitting, the younger tried to keep the other there for as long as possible for company. "So can you, like, ski or something? I know Russia has a lot of snow, it's pretty far up north."

"Well, I was born here, Alfred," the music teacher shrugged. "I can't say much for what my parents probably did for fun, but as for skiing, no, I am  far too clumsy for that."

"I don't believe that," the teen gave a flat stare. "You play like four instruments, I doubt you're a complete klutz."

"Seven, actually," Ivan corrected mildly, fixing the lapel of his suit. "And even if you don't believe me, Alfred, I'm still a klutz."

He giggled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. Alfred liked the look on him. Platonically, of course.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever show off," Alfred stuck out his tongue at him. Ivan made a teasing motion of snatching it, making the younger yelp before sucking the wet muscle back in before giving a weak glare. "Hey!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," Ivan laughed, pulling away. "I am weak at impulses."

Alfred almost smiled, but then he regained his annoyance and puffed up chest. "Whatever," he said, crossing his arms. "What else do you do in Russia?"

"I keep telling you I was born here, but I guess we would do pretty much the same as you all do here," Ivan said, flicking something off of his cufflink. "Growing up, I went to school, I played music, I danced-"

"Wait, danced?" The student cut in. "Like what? What did you dance?"

Ivan blinked, "Well, ballet. I did ballet for about...six years."

The young blond sat back, frowning to himself, trying to process how his over six foot tall and probably two hundred pound teacher had ever done ballet. He glanced at Ivan, giving him a look over, "I...Sorry, but I can't see it-"

Ivan raised a brow, crossing his arms over his chest, smirking. His weight shifted as he stood on the tiptoes of his left foot, all of his weight focused on those very toes - he didn't even waver, bending one leg at the other at a right angle. "En pointe."

Alfred nodded, and Ivan dropped himself with a slight wince; at the younger male's raised brow, the older replied, "These are the wrong shoes to demonstrate in."

"That's what you get for showing off," Alfred huffed.

Ivan chuckled, "I'll let you have that one, Alfred. It was foolish of me to try it in these when I know better."

"Oh yeah, I'm right," the shorter smirked. His teacher leaned back on the wall, smiling, simply enjoying that the boy was enjoying himself at his mistake. At least he was happy now.

He wasn't alone either.

"Oh- Mr. Bragniski?" Said older man looked down at the younger, how he shifted nervously and then blushed at seemingly nothing in particular. He did that a lot actually.

"Yes?" Ivan asked, he looked up as he heard clapping, frowning. Was the night ending so soon? Oh, it looked like the dance was almost over then. Ah well, it had been a good night - wait, Alfred was still trying to talk over the noise.

"-nd I would just like to say thanks for the dance, y'know, you didn't have to and I really appreciate it-" Alfred was practically about to burst blood from his face, he was so red, Ivan was almost about to be concerned until the teen took a much needed breath. "But yeah...thanks for the night, y'know?"

He was trying to smile, but his eyes were vulnerable, and he was reaching out his hand to shake the older male's own.

Ivan smiled, crinkles forming at the ends of his eyes, soft freckles standing out in his cheeks. "The pleasure was all mine, you were a good dance partner. "

"...Thanks!" Alfred's grin could have broke his face. He was laughing, a small sheen over his eyes, "Thanks - thanks a lot!"

"You're welcome, Alfred," Ivan said smoothly. "Anytime," he said, looking away to watch the couples filter out. Alfred had his back to them, ignoring the conversations and holding his sole gaze on Ivan. Ignorance or admiration, perhaps?

Ivan looked back and Alfred looked away.

The elder smiled to himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Part of a series of oneshots of this universe I've been cooking up for a while. Brass Steps is mostly angst with occasional fluff and/or humor through in. The title will make sense later on.


End file.
